Abstract
BackgroundMobile health (mHealth) is growing rapidly, but more studies are needed on how to optimize programs, including optimal timing of messaging, dose of exposure, and value of interactive features. This study evaluates final outcomes of text4baby (a text message service for pregnant and postpartum women) from a randomized trial performed in a population of pregnant female soldiers and family members.ObjectiveThe study aims were to evaluate (1) treatment effects and (2) dose-response effects of text4baby on behavioral outcomes compared to control (no text4baby) condition.MethodsThe study was a randomized trial of text4baby at Madigan Army Medical Center. Female military health beneficiaries who met inclusion criteria were eligible for the study. Participants provided consent, completed a baseline questionnaire, and then were randomized to enroll in text4baby or not. They were followed up at 3 time points thereafter through delivery of their baby. Generalized estimating equation models were used to evaluate outcomes. We examined treatment effects and the effects of higher doses of text4baby messages on outcomes.ResultsWe report descriptive statistics including dosage of text messages delivered. The main finding was a significant effect of high exposure to text4baby on self-reported alcohol consumption postpartum (OR 0.212, 95% CI 0.046-0.973, P=.046), as measured by the question “Since you found out about your pregnancy, have you consumed alcoholic beverages?” The text4baby participants also reported lower quantities of alcohol consumed postpartum.ConclusionsStudies of text4baby have helped to build the mHealth evidence base. The effects of text4baby offer lessons for future scalable mHealth programs and suggest the need to study dose-response effects of these interventions.
Highlights
Mobile health, the use of mobile phones as a tool for health care treatment and public health behavior change, is a rapidly expanding field that has significant promise to improve public health and increase the effectiveness of disease prevention and health promotion programs [1,2,3]
Free and colleagues [11] systematically reviewed the evidence on Mobile health (mHealth) interventions and found that antiretroviral treatment (ART) and smoking cessation interventions had sufficient evidence of effectiveness to be considered for inclusion in health care services
The present study evaluates the final outcomes of text4baby from a randomized trial of pregnant female soldiers and family http://mhealth.jmir.org/2015/1/e12/
Summary
Mobile health (mHealth), the use of mobile phones as a tool for health care treatment and public health behavior change, is a rapidly expanding field that has significant promise to improve public health and increase the effectiveness of disease prevention and health promotion programs [1,2,3]. Free and colleagues [11] systematically reviewed the evidence on mHealth interventions and found that antiretroviral treatment (ART) and smoking cessation interventions had sufficient evidence of effectiveness to be considered for inclusion in health care services. Abroms and colleagues designed and evaluated the text2quit intervention, which delivers text messages using a tailored feedback approach to promote smoking cessation, and found that 11.1% of former smokers who participated in the intervention remained abstinent after 6 months compared to 5.0% among the comparison group [12]. Mobile health (mHealth) is growing rapidly, but more studies are needed on how to optimize programs, including optimal timing of messaging, dose of exposure, and value of interactive features. This study evaluates final outcomes of text4baby (a text message service for pregnant and postpartum women) from a randomized trial performed in a population of pregnant female soldiers and family members. The effects of text4baby offer lessons for future scalable mHealth programs and suggest the need to study dose-response effects of these interventions
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